Chapter 38

Li Hao was determined to act as a shield and find an opportunity to counterattack the hundred-layer martial artist who was pursuing them from behind.

However, Liu Yan was not very willing to take the risk.

This was different from the last time.

Previously, when dealing with Zhou He, everyone was there to back them up, and Liu Long and the others were present. A mere tenth-layer martial artist could be controlled, and there was no fear of any unexpected incidents.

But today… Liu Long had not returned yet.

Although Liu Yan was close to the hundred-layer level, she was still a bit short of it. Moreover, the opponent was not just one person. If it were a three-on-one, they could have tried, but once they were entangled, there were still several other martial artists behind them.

The rain soaked Liu Yan's long hair.

This usually alluring woman now had her clothes clinging to her body, accentuating her curvaceous figure, but her eyes no longer held the usual smile and jest; they were filled with tension and seriousness.

Li Hao had no time to appreciate the scene. Pulled by Liu Yan, his speed was originally slower than hers, and now, being dragged along, he was also very tired and exhausted.

Counterattack!

Li Hao felt that they had to counterattack at this moment.

At this moment, they had not yet seen any superhumans.

If they did not counterattack now and were killed by the other side, the teacher might intervene… but if the teacher intervened, the superhumans might run away.

"This can't go on…"

Although he had not set any specific goals for himself, he had his own plans.

He wanted to lure all the people who were trying to kill him!

Before these people gathered, he could not die.

He wanted to give the teacher a chance to act and eliminate them all at once!

The earlier the teacher acted, the less impact it would have.

Superhumans had many means; once the teacher appeared and killed a few martial artists, the other superhumans might scatter and run away instantly.

Therefore, they not only had to stall but also counterattack, forcing the other side to keep sending more people.

This was Li Hao's thinking!

It was also the reason he was willing to take the risk and not stay in Yincheng Ancient Academy.

Otherwise, if the teacher entered the Thousand-layer realm, he could just hide there. Why take the risk?

"Sis!"

Li Hao's voice was low and urgent. While he still had the strength, he had to counterattack.

Otherwise, if they continued to be chased at this speed in such weather, they might not even have the strength to fight back later. Whether it was martial artists or superhumans, they were not invincible now; their mystic energy and inner strength were limited.

This high-intensity exercise was extremely draining.

Of course, Li Hao still had some resources!

He was practicing the Five Animals Breathing Technique, and a warm current was seeping out from the jade sword in his chest. At this moment, Li Hao absorbed some of it, and the rest spread out, being absorbed by Liu Yan, who was tightly holding him.

Liu Yan, who was fleeing and unwilling to pay attention to Li Hao, suddenly stiffened.

She instantly reacted and continued to flee, but she was shocked inside.

Mystic energy?

No!

She had initially thought that the superhumans had come, locked onto them, and invaded them, but she realized it was not the case. The energy was coming from Li Hao, not strong, but very faint.

In this situation, this energy did not shock her; instead, it was like a warm spring, heating her body and restoring her strength.

What is this?

Liu Yan's mind was a bit muddled at the moment, and she did not have time to think about what kind of power this was.

However, her tense muscles had relaxed somewhat.

They had been fleeing for over three minutes.

In such a situation, where they were being pursued, running at full speed while carrying someone was extremely draining, but now… she had recovered a bit!

Liu Yan's rain-soaked face showed a hint of surprise.

While fleeing, she glanced at Li Hao out of the corner of her eye.

The energy was still flowing continuously, making her feel a long-lost warmth. Even the old injuries from absorbing mystic energy and being impacted were recovering.

This kid is not right!

No wonder he is being pursued!

Liu Yan did not speak but made a judgment in her mind. Her stamina and inner strength were rapidly depleting, and the hundred-layer martial artist pursuing them was indeed stronger than her, but she was the closest to the hundred-layer level.

The other side's stamina and inner strength were also depleting!

As the gap narrowed, if she could recover and reach her peak, and considering that the other side had been injured by her earlier and had been chasing them for a long time, there might really be a chance!

"Fire!"

Liu Yan shouted, and at that moment, she directly picked up Li Hao, carrying him like a child, and started to flee.

Li Hao was taken aback.

He had just been pulled along, but now Liu Yan was carrying him. He was a man… it was embarrassing!

Of course, at this moment, he did not care.

With Liu Yan carrying him, Li Hao was free.

He took out the Vortex III and aimed at the ghost-faced martial artist, who was less than 50 meters behind and the only hundred-layer martial artist.

Bang!

The gun fired!

The martial artist was indeed skilled; even at such high speed, he still quickly dodged the bullet, but his speed was affected. His voice was cold: "Li Hao, you can't escape! You need to understand that if you continue, not only will you die, but many others will too!"

Li Hao remained calm, not eager to shoot again. He pulled the other side a bit further away and continued to practice the Five Animals Breathing Technique, while speaking: "I can't escape, but neither can you! My teacher will avenge me. Even if you can't kill the superhumans, my teacher can still kill a hundred-layer martial artist!"

"Ha!"

Yuan Shuo!

The name echoed in the ghost-faced martial artist's mind.

Yuan Shuo!

If it were 20 years ago, no, three years ago, he would not dare to provoke Yuan Shuo, but… the era of Yuan Shuo is over.

Superhumans have risen, and martial artists… ha ha!

He himself was a martial artist, a hundred-layer martial artist, and he knew better than anyone that martial artists had truly declined.

A few years ago, hundred-layer martial artists were still dominant.

But in recent years, the number of Moon Shadow-level superhumans has increased, and even Sunlight-level superhumans have grown in number. In the Silver Moon Province alone, there were a large number of Sunlight-level superhumans.

These were comparable to Thousand-layer martial artists!

And in the Silver Moon Province, there wasn't even a single Thousand-layer martial artist.

Martial arts have completely declined.

Yuan Shuo, this old relic, should be buried.

Li Hao counting on Yuan Shuo to avenge him… Yuan Shuo should take care of himself. The Night Watchers can't protect him for life. He has countless enemies. It is said that the one who advanced from the hundred-layer to the Sunlight-level has made even greater progress in recent years, surpassing the Sunlight-level!

In the past, the Night Watchers didn't care about a Sunlight-level superhuman and could protect Yuan Shuo. Now, if a superhuman surpassing the Sunlight-level comes to seek revenge, will the Night Watchers still protect him?

This thought kept flashing in the ghost-faced martial artist's mind.

Bang!

At that moment, a bullet grazed his ear, almost hitting him.

The ghost-faced martial artist instantly became alert!

His face under the mask showed a hint of anger, and his voice became even colder: "Li Hao, come over. I won't kill you. Do you want Liu Yan and Chen Jian to die for you? Do you know how many people in Yincheng will die if the Demon Hunting Squad is wiped out?"

"You don't understand. Yincheng is too small, the weakest and smallest city in the 32 cities of the Silver Moon Province. It can be abandoned. Many people have designs on Yincheng. The Night Watchers don't have the strength or the will to defend Yincheng… years ago, the Night Watchers suggested abandoning the small cities and relocating the people to the larger cities, advocating a defensive strategy!"

"Liu Long didn't want Yincheng to disappear from history and insisted on defending Yincheng with the power of a hundred-layer martial artist against superhumans!"

"Liu Long once boasted to the Night Watchers that as long as he lived, Yincheng would not be abandoned. If he died… Yincheng might become a thing of the past, and countless people would abandon their homes and flee to other places to survive!"

"Do you want Liu Long and the others to die with you?"

The ghost-faced martial artist shouted from behind, seemingly concerned about Yincheng and its future.

Of course, this was also true.

A few years ago, the higher-ups had suggested abandoning small cities to strengthen the larger cities, and the Night Watchers did not have the resources to defend Yincheng against superhumans.

However, Liu Long said he was enough!

He used the power of a martial artist to resist the invasion of superhumans, so Yincheng did not need to be relocated.

Relocation, easy to say.

Once relocated, countless people would abandon their homes, go to the larger cities, lose their savings and businesses, and become refugees, living in others' homes. Young people might be fine, but how would the elderly and children survive?

The world is becoming more chaotic.

A population of a million, most of them would live in extreme poverty.

As long as Liu Long lived, the superhuman realm's strong, the Sunlight-level, did not care about Yincheng. When the Moon Shadow-level attacked, they were killed by Liu Long, so the superhuman realm never ventured into Yincheng.

But what if Liu Long died?

Many superhumans, rising to power, are now extremely eager for money, power, material, and beauty. They dare not go to the larger cities and would naturally come to the smaller cities for fun.

Yincheng is being watched by many!

...

Li Hao, being carried by Liu Yan, had a slight change in his eyes.

Is it like this?

The higher-ups actually wanted to abandon the small cities… this means that even the official authorities are struggling to control the overall situation and have to abandon some places to build larger cities to accommodate more people and better defend them.

Are the official authorities forced to defend?

Are they at a disadvantage in the superhuman realm?

But the official authorities still have the military, a large number of troops, and powerful thermal weapons, including superweapons that can destroy cities. In such a situation, are they still forced to defend?

Li Hao found it hard to believe!

In his impression, the official authorities were still extremely powerful, and he always thought that the Night Watchers were unwilling to put in more effort because